Far East-Pacific - 萬歲 Wansui Sino-Slavic Cooperation.

[TsarSamuil]

Far East, well I can't group it together with Central Asia, it's not a Muslim region but a Pacific one. I thought it deserved its own thread, also because it's an important Slavic region.

News,
vladivostoktimes.ru/
deita.ru/
www.xinhuanet.com/english/europe/ties.htm

“Development of Vladivostok as a Core of International Cooperation in Asian and Pacific Regions” intends to concentrate resources on this most developed urban areas in the Russian Far East under such recognition as “the city of Vladivostok has one-third of manufacturing capital and labor power in Primorye; the productivity of this city is higher than other areas, and Vladivostok is the only donor for the municipal budget of Primorye”. It is apparent that this program intends to eliminate inefficient regional development strategy such as regional equalization-oriented investment during the Soviet era. Many plans for maintaining transport infrastructure are arranged in cities of the Russian Far East and Zabaikalye, but the aim of these plans should not be interpreted as improvements of industrial bases, rather than the construction of social capital stock for residents.

[TsarSamuil]

Medvedev concerned by falling population in Russia’s Far East.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Saturday expressed concern over the demographic situation in Russia’s Far East.

“In the last 20 years the population in the Far East has shrunk by a quarter,” he said during a visit to the Amur Region, adding that the area was sparsely populated even before the start of the decline.

He also said that 6.5 million people lived in the Far East Federal District as of January 1, and that 5,000 of these had already left – a tendency that Medvedev described as “extremely difficult” and complicating the work of social-economic systems.

The president also pointed out that falling population numbers made it harder to exploit natural resources and as a result the region was in need of both Russian and foreign specialists.

However he said that systems for attracting such specialists to the Far East “have not yet been created.”

“We need foreign specialists… across Russia and here in the Far East as in this region new production capacities are being introduced,” he said.

He also added that Russia needed to create a “civilized labor market and to ensure the rights of all who legally work in Russia as well as simultaneously battle against illegal immigration.”

BLAGOVESHCHENSK, July 3 (RIA Novosti)

[TsarSamuil]

There cannot be a hot war between China and the US.

RT.com
29 September, 2010, 21:57

What is China going to do amid growing tensions around Iran? What’s the status of Russia-China relations? GRU veteran Andrey Devyatov, one of the leading experts on China, talked to RT about these and other questions.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev went to China on a three-day visit. He visited a Russian memorial cemetery in Port Arthur (Lushunkou in Chinese; currently a district of Dalian), signed a number of key economic MOUs with China and opened “Russia Day” at EXPO 2010.

RT: What is the current status of relations between Russia and China?

Andrey Devyatov: Both parties claim their relations are better than ever. In reality, though, they are very insincere about it. China wants Russia to be its strategic rear base in China’s confrontation with the United States. A rear base is where fuel and raw materials are stored, where new weapons are designed. A rear base is something you can rely on, something to fall back on.

Russia, for its part, fears China’s demographic expansion to Siberia and the Russian Far East because Russian territories east of the Urals are underpopulated and because Russia has lost its industrial and military power. So, speaking again and again of “everlasting friendship,” Russia strives to maintain the appearance of good-neighborly relations. Also, Russia tries to use its seemingly warm relations with China to play the Chinese card in its relations with the United States and NATO.

So, while outwardly Russia and China swear to remain best friends forever, their relationship is becoming increasingly tense.

RT: How does the United States influence relations between China and Russia? From time to time, Russia gets caught up in the groundless fear of the “Chinese invasion.” Is this part of that influence?

AD: The United States has been quite successful in playing the Chinese card against Russia. Its crude propaganda and subtle diplomacy contain a modicum of truth, and truth, if not covered with flattery and hypocrisy, is always bitter. The United States is distracting the authorities, business and public opinion in Russia from the essence of US-Chinese relations, i.e. “global comprehensive positive cooperation,” which the United States calls the G2. As a result, Russia is seriously thinking of expanding its cooperation with NATO.

RT: How would you describe the present level of interaction between the United States and China?

AD: After the two countries normalized their relations in the late 1970s, their relationship has been described as “constructive cooperation.” The essence of this relationship is a peaceful arrangement (i.e., without the threat of war) of deals on the market of global geo-economics, where China acts as the manufacturer, the world factory of industrial goods of the 21st century, and the United States is the main payer and consumer of the goods produced by the Chinese factory. Since the market is a buyer’s market, not a manufacturer’s market or a seller’s market, the US seeks to establish the dictatorship of the consumer. China, on the other hand, skillfully demonstrates its strategic independence from the United States, because, having a population of 1.5 billion – i.e. 1.5 billion consumers of its own – it can always retreat from the world market and fall back upon its domestic market. The only aspect of the American dictatorship that China is not able to counter yet is the measure of value used for its goods, and for the raw materials and fuel it uses, as China has to purchase those abroad. That measure of value is called US dollar.

RT: Does China have leverage to counter US dictatorship?

AD: If China is the factory of the 21st century, the United States is the technology laboratory of the 21st century. In addition to buyer’s and payer’s dictatorship, the United States pursues a policy of technological dictatorship. But China uses the network of its diasporas (Chinatowns) to obtain American technological secrets, sometimes legally and sometimes through covert intelligence methods. That’s why spy scandals erupt from time to time between the United States and China.

Another method China uses to undermine America’s technological monopoly is the production of counterfeit goods.

RT: Why is China in no hurry to join the Russian GloNASS project, using GPS in its air defense systems instead? Don’t they think that the US may turn off their satellite the same way they did with Iraq in 2003?

AD: The Chinese are pragmatists. GPS is what works today; therefore, they use it. GloNASS is not ready yet, and nobody knows if it will work well when it’s finished. Furthermore, China has financial and economic leverage to influence the United States but it doesn’t have such leverage with Russia. Besides, China is developing its own satellite navigation system.

Also, future wars won’t be fought between US aircraft carriers and Chinese submarines at sea. Today’s war is a network guerilla war with terrorists and extremists. In the future, there will be “combat molecules” which won’t require satellite navigation.

RT: A month ago Putin opened a new oil pipeline to China, and now Medvedev did the same. The United States is very much against such ties between China and Russia. Does it pose a threat to Russia and China?

AD: The initial plan in 2001 was to build a pipe for 30 million tons of crude oil in five years. Eventually, it was built in 10 years and its capacity is 15 million tons a year. Furthermore, China officially says it is concerned about “the security and proper operation” of the pipe.

The United States, as the consumer of the goods produced by the Chinese factory, knows very well that it can’t leave the factory without raw materials and fuel. America wants to control the factory (i.e., its prices) through raw materials and fuel. That’s why the United States’ objective is to take control of the tap on that pipe, which may result in Russia losing its sovereignty.

RT: What is the current situation with gas pipelines to China? When will they be launched?

AD: Talks, promises and assurances have been going on and on ever since 2004. But even now, during Medvedev’s state visit to China, the parties failed to reach an agreement about the gas price for China. The problem is that China gets natural gas from Central Asian republics, members of the Shanghai (not Moscow!) Cooperation Organization, at prices that are 30% lower than what Gazprom gets selling gas to the West. Russia is building new pipelines to Germany and Italy – Nord Stream and South Stream. It is adding new pipes to Blue Stream. Deliveries to Europe through Soviet-era pipes in Ukraine, too, continue as before. So, I think all those talks about gas pipes to China are pretty much a bluff. Russia wants to play the Chinese card. This is not a “grand chessboard”; it’s a card table of history where more than two players are present.

RT: Why did China join the sanctions imposed on Iran? Iran is the main supplier of oil and gas to China. China could have easily vetoed the sanctions.

AD: The Chinese are pragmatists. The de facto situation is more important to them than the de jure one. Only lawyers care about the letter. In reality, the sanctions don’t change a thing. The Russian people have long been told that whereas the West needs Law, what the Russian people need is Grace.

RT: If there is a war against Iran, will China stay out of it?

AD: Yes. There cannot be a hot war between China and the United States.

Nadezhda Kevorkova, RT

---------

Andrey Devyatov

Andrey Devyatov is a military expert on China and the author of numerous books and essays. He lived in China for 17 years. In 1999, he was expelled from China for “activities incompatible with his status” and banned from entering China for the next seven years.

Mr. Devyatov is deputy director of the Institute for Russo-Chinese Strategic Interaction.

His works include “China’s Peculiarities as I Learned Them in Intelligence and Business,” “The Chinese Breakthrough and Lessons for Russia” and “Practical Chinese Studies.” His book “Uranopolitics” has been translated into Chinese.

[TsarSamuil]

Russia calls Japan's island claims a "dead-end"

Thu, Sep 30 2010

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia called Japan's claims to a disputed Pacific island chain a "dead end" Thursday after Tokyo warned President Dmitry Medvedev against visiting the archipelago.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Andrei Nesterenko's remarks were a particularly strongly worded statement of Russia's rejection of Japanese claims to the islands, which Moscow calls the South Kurils and Tokyo calls the Northern Territories.

"We consider it necessary to once again state that these islands are the territory of the Russian Federation," Nesterenko told a weekly briefing. He said Japan should "avoid repeating dead-end positions" in statements about the islands.

Soviet troops occupied the string of islands northeast of Japan near the end of World War Two. The dispute has prevented Moscow and Tokyo from concluding a peace treaty and persisted as a source of tension despite diplomatic and economic ties.

On Russia's Pacific Coast Wednesday, Medvedev said that bad weather had prevented him from traveling to the Kurils after a trip to China but vowed to visit the islands soon, pointedly calling them "an important region of our country."

Japanese Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara was quoted by Kyodo news agency as saying such a trip would "severely hurt bilateral ties."

The Russian spokesman said it was Japan that risked harming relations with such warnings.

"The president of the Russian Federation independently determines the routes of his trips on the territory of his country," Nesterenko said. "Any advice here is inappropriate and unacceptable."

(Writing by Steve Gutterman; Editing by Alison Williams)

[TsarSamuil]

Russia, Japan to continue dialogue on peace treaty.

Russia and Japan will continue negotiations on a peace treaty that satisfies both countries' demands, deputy foreign ministers Alexei Borodavkin and Koro Besse said during consultations on Friday.

"Both sides confirmed their intentions to continue dialogue to seek a mutually acceptable solution to the peace treaty issue," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Tokyo's claims over the four islands off northeastern Japan, which were annexed by the Soviet Union after World War II, have prevented Russia and Japan from signing a formal peace treaty to end World War II hostilities.

MOSCOW, October 8 (RIA Novosti)

[TsarSamuil]

Medvedev visit to Kuril Islands stokes Japan row.

Bbc.co.uk
1 November 2010

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has arrived in the Kurils, defying Japan's warnings not to visit the disputed islands in the Pacific Ocean.

Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan immediately described Mr Medvedev's visit to Kunashir Island as "regrettable".

Earlier, Russia's top diplomat Sergei Lavrov warned that Mr Medvedev was free to visit any Russian region he chose.

The islands have been under Moscow's control since the end of World War II.

The islands are known in Russia as the Southern Kurils. Japan calls them the Northern Territories.

The Jiji news agency quoted a senior Japanese foreign ministry official as saying the Russian ambassador would be summoned in protest at the visit.

'Hurt feelings'

On Monday, Mr Medvedev became the first Russian leader to set foot on the Kuril Islands.

In Kunashir, he is expected to meet local residents and visit construction sites.

His visit comes shortly before his planned trip to Japan for an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) meeting in mid-November.

In Tokyo, Prime Minister Kan reiterated Japan's stance on the four Kuril Islands.

"Those four northern islands are part of our country's territory, so the president's visit is very regrettable," he said.

Separately, Japanese Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara warned that any such visit would "hurt the feelings of the Japanese people".

The territorial dispute has strained relations between Tokyo and Moscow ever since World War II, preventing the signing of a formal peace treaty.

[TsarSamuil]

Vid,
rt.com/Top_News/2010-11-01/kuril-islands-visit-medvedev.html

Pacific storm: Russia-Japan tension rises over Medvedev’s visit to Kuril Islands.

RT.com
01 November, 2010, 05:29

President Dmitry Medvedev is now the first Russian leader to visit the Southern Kuril Islands in the Far East. His trip sparked an outcry in Japan, with the country’s prime minister describing the visit as ‘regrettable’.

Four islands of the archipelago have long been a bone of contention between Russia and Japan, with both countries claiming them to be part of their territory. Because of Japan’s territorial claims, Russian leaders in the past had been reluctant to visit the islands.

Medvedev first announced his desire to visit the Kurils a month ago. In response, the Japanese Foreign Ministry issued a statement, warning that if such a trip took place, it would seriously endanger Russian-Japanese relations. It is believed that after the strong statement from the Japanese side, Medvedev had no other choice but to visit the islands.

The Japanese Foreign Ministry reacted immediately by summoning the Russian ambassador in Tokyo for clarification.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has called Japan’s reaction to Medvedev’s visit “unacceptable”.

“This is our land. The Russian president has visited Russian territory, a Russian region. We have explained this to our Japanese partners. Today we’re going to invite the Japanese ambassador here in Moscow and we will make a clear statement to reaffirm our position unequivocally,” Lavrov announced at a news conference on Monday.

One of the major arguments from the Japanese side is that Russia has such a large territory that it does not really need four tiny islands, especially if it takes rather poor care of them. Despite their beautiful nature and rich mineral and biological resources, the Southern Kuril Islands have been neglected by Soviet and Russian authorities for many decades.

For this reason many Kuril residents have long been feeling almost abandoned, but President Medvedev stressed the strategic importance of these territories and made it clear that his goal was to turn things around.

In an interview, Medvedev pointed out that the situation has changed for the better in recent years: with new housing and social infrastructure.

“This is good as it is improving living standards and giving hope that they can reach the same level as the mainland within a reasonable time frame. Obviously, it is a remote part of the country, but still the opportunities that people have there should be at a decent level,” he added.

Early on Monday, the president arrived on Kunashir Island, where he met the locals and visited several construction sites and public institutions.

Kunashir is the largest and the most populated island, being home to almost 6,500 Russian citizens. Together with three other Pacific islands, it was taken over by the Soviet Union 65 years ago, but the tussle to define its national identity still goes on.

There is a big cross standing on the shore of another Kuril island of Shikotan. It appeared a few years ago, soon after the Russian Orthodox Church opened its parish there.

After decades of seeing its population dwindle, the island is now in the midst of a baby boom.
“We have the highest birth rate in the entire Sakhalin region,” said local Orthodox priest Father Dmitry. “We have lots of young people, lots of servicemen, officers. Their living standards are quite decent nowadays.”

Building the church is part of the Russian government’s efforts to raise living standards on the Kuril Islands. It has helped reinforce national identity. All but abandoned in the 1990s, the island saw a large influx of Japanese charities and officials trying to persuade the locals that they might be much better off if the islands were under Japanese administration.

The dispute over the Kuril Islands, known as the Northern Territories in Japan, has always had a third party involved. It was the United States that encouraged the Soviet Union to take them over in 1945 and it was also Washington that later backed Japan’s territorial claims. However, many Japanese see both Russia and America as occupying forces.

“Japan has two issues: one is a territorial claim to Russia, and the other is to get rid of American military bases on Japanese territory,” said Victor Pavletenko of the Russian Academy of Science.

Russia suggests putting the problem aside and trying to develop cooperation, said Dmitry Babich, political observer from RIA Novosti news agency.

“When relations improve, there’s a possibility for compromise on a lot of issues,” Babich told RT.

Japan’s reaction can be explained by the desire of the Japanese government to play a tough hand in foreign policy, given the dire economic strain in which Japan finds itself, believes Viktor Linnik, editor-in-chief of Slovo newspaper.

“That kind of assertiveness on the part of Japan is untimely on the eve of the visit [Medvedev plans to visit Japan in two weeks]. There are more pressing issues for Japan to deal with, like US military presence in Okinawa, now 65 years old – that could be dealt with a lot more positively and successfully for Japan,” added Linnik.

Georgy Toloraya from Russia's national committee on Asia-Pacific security explains that Japan has recently quarreled over territorial issues with all its neighbours. "We remember well the row about the Senkaku, or Diaoyu islands. Now Japan has instigated this scandal about the Kuril Islands."

Toloraya believes the Japanese stance on territorial issues is connected with its internal politics. "Tokyo wants to get support from its constituencies. Rethinking of Japan's external strategies is also underway. Hence, the government of Japan is inclined more to conflict than to compromise," he says.

Although under international law the Kuril Islands unequivocally belong to Russia, Russian officials on the trip reiterated that they are open for dialog with Japan over the status of the islands. Russia keeps sticking to the provisions of the 1956 agreement that included the possibility of handing two of the islands back to Japan. However, Japan is not ready to accept these terms, claiming that all four islands should be returned, which has always seemed too much to ask for Russia.

[TsarSamuil]

U.S. says backs Japan in dispute with Russia over Kuril Islands.

The United States backs Japan in its dispute with Russia over the Kuril Islands and keeps on calling on both countries to reach a compromise, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of State said.

"We are quite aware of the dispute. We do back Japan regarding the Northern Territories. The United States for a number of years has encouraged Japan and Russia to negotiate an actual peace treaty, regarding these and other issues," Philip Crowley told a daily press briefing.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev sparked a diplomatic row with Japan when he visited Kunashir Island, near Japan's northernmost Hokkaido Island, on Monday.

The visit was the first trip by a head of state of Russia or the former Soviet Union to the South Kuril Islands. The Soviet Union seized four of the Kuril Islands (Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan, and Habomai) from Japan at the end of World War II and Tokyo has demanded their return ever since. The dispute has prevented Russia and Japan from signing a formal peace treaty.

Japan said the move was "regrettable," and had "hurt the Japanese people's sentiments."

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Saturday that he saw "no connection" between the trip and Russian-Japanese relations.

WASHINGTON, November 2 (RIA Novosti)

[TsarSamuil]

Japan to recall ambassador to Russia over island row (Update 1)

Japan will temporarily recall its ambassador to Russia in connection with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's visit to a disputed Kuril island, Japan's Kyodo news agency quoted the country's foreign minister as saying.

Japanese Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara made the announcement to recall the ambassador during a press conference in Tokyo, Kyodo reported.

Medvedev visited Kunashir Island, near Japan's northernmost Hokkaido Island, on Monday, sparking a diplomatic row with Tokyo. The visit was the first trip by a head of state of Russia or the former Soviet Union to the South Kuril Islands.

The Soviet Union seized four of the Kuril Islands (Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan, and Habomai) from Japan at the end of World War II and Tokyo has demanded their return ever since. The dispute has prevented Russia and Japan from signing a formal peace treaty.

Japan said the move was "regrettable," and had "hurt the Japanese people's sentiments."

Moscow described Japan's reaction on Medvedev's visit as "unacceptable." Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday "we are not going to make any steps that would hamper Russian-Japanese cooperation, but the Japanese side should certainly make conclusions."

The Russian Foreign Ministry said any "advice" concerning the Russian leader's trips "inside his own country" is "inappropriate and unacceptable."

The United States has backed Japan in its claim over the disputed islands and has pushed for both countries to come to a compromise.

"We are quite aware of the dispute. We do back Japan regarding the Northern Territories. The United States for a number of years has encouraged Japan and Russia to negotiate an actual peace treaty, regarding these and other issues," Philip Crowley, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of State, told a daily press briefing on Monday.

MOSCOW, November 2 (RIA Novosti)

[TsarSamuil]

China calls for dialogue on Kuril islands row.

China called on Tuesday for a resolution through dialogue on the territorial dispute between Russian and Japan over the Kuril Islands.

Tokyo has said it will temporarily recall its ambassador to Moscow following Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's visit to one of the four disputed Kuril islands.

A spokesman for China's Foreign Ministry said the issue concerned Moscow and Tokyo only.

"We hope that the sides will find a suitable solution to the territorial dispute through dialogue," Hong Lei said.

Medvedev visited Kunashir Island, near Japan's northernmost Hokkaido Island, on Monday.

The Soviet Union seized the islands at the end of World War II.

Japan called Medvedev's visit "regrettable."

Moscow described Japan's reaction to the move as "unacceptable."

Relations between Tokyo and Beijing have also been strained by a territorial dispute over islands in the South China Sea.

BEIJING, November 2 (RIA Novosti)

[TsarSamuil]

Japan's reaction to Russian president's trip to disputed isles sign of weakness?

by Igor Serebryany, Zheng Haoning

MOSCOW, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's visit to the Southern Kuril island of Kunashir sparked strong reaction of Japan, which also claimed this island along with three others.

Some Russian experts say Japan's anger was a sign of the country's weakness.

On Monday morning, Medvedev became the first Russian or Soviet leader since the end of World War II to put his feet on this tiny island, one of a group of disputed islands between Moscow and Tokyo.

The controversy Tokyo tries to blow up around this visit is of entirely artificial nature, Vyacheslav Amirov, an expert with the Asia-Pacific Department of the Russian Academy of Science, told Xinhua.

"The president's trip to Sakhalin region (part of Kuril Islands) was announced beforehand, so Tokyo did not need to agitate itself and pretend to be surprised with it," Amirov said.

Tokyo's reaction just demonstrated the weakness of its position, because Japanese politicians effectively created a "catch 22" situation, making themselves hostage of their own standing on the territorial dispute, Amirov told Xinhua.

In September, Medvedev said the disputed Pacific islands "are an important region of our country" and he would visit them in the near future whereas the Japanese side said Medvedev's possible visit would create "serious obstacles" in bilateral relations.

Despite Japan's objection, the Kremlin has consistently claimed it would be absurd to discuss with foreign states on the visit of a Russian president to Kuril Islands.

"Russian leaders have been paying ever increasing attention to the Far East. Russia's government works out a program for the region's development," Amirov said.

During his trip, Medvedev said the Russian government wanted people to remain there.

"Development here is important. We will definitely be investing money here," the president was quoted by local media as saying when asked about the island's growing population outflow.

Even the regional capital Sakhalin lacks reliable communications with the continental Russian mainland, let alone the remote Kunashir island, which is called Kunashiri in Japan.

Federal authorities recently allocated funds for building an all-weather runway and sea port on Kunashir to make transport links between the island and the continent less weather dependent.

According to the Kremlin's official web-site, Medvedev and Sakhalin governor Alexander Khorashavin discussed this problem and other social and economic issues of the isles, but never mentioned any international dimension of the situation.

Earlier in the day, Japanese Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara told a committee of the lower house of parliament that Medvedev's visit to the disputed isle "hurts Japanese public sentiment."

At the same committee, Prime Minister Naoto Kan asserted the islands were Japanese territory and described Medvedev's move as "extremely deplorable," while Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshito Sengoku said Japan was to decide what steps it would take after checking the president's remarks.

Amirov said the Japanese were overreacting.

"This visit changed nothing in Moscow's position on this territorial dispute. Tokyo's laments over Medvedev's trip to Kunashir brought in very little new, too," he said.

Russia's ambassador to Japan, Mikhail Bely, summoned by Japanese Foreign Minister Maehara, responded calmly, reiterating his country's position that Kuril islands had been Russia's sovereign territory.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Monday called "unacceptable" Tokyo's reaction to Medvedev's trip to the Kurils, stressing that the Russian president was traveling on Russian land.

"Moscow controls these isles for 65 years with no interruption. So Kremlin unlikely intended to tease Japan with this trip, especially in the run-up of Medvedev's visit to this country for the APEC summit in mid-November," Amirov said.

Alexander Panov, Russian ambassador to Japan in 1996-2003, told Xinhua that Tokyo might consider this trip as a sort of Russia's probing action ahead of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum meeting, and if so, it was an entirely wrong perception.

Moscow did not need to test Tokyo's reaction because Russia knew all Japan would say over the subject, well in advance, he said.

"As long ago as in 1956, Moscow offered to hand over to Japan two Kuril isles as a good-will gesture. Still, Japan employed an 'all-or-nothing' approach that would lead to nowhere," said Panov, director of the Russian Diplomatic Academy.

In October 1956, the Soviet Union proposed to settle the dispute by returning the Shikotan Island and Habomai rocks to Japan until a permanent peace treaty to be signed by both countries.

Yet, the two countries still have not concluded a permanent peace treaty due to the dispute over the islands.

According to Japanese reports, Medvedev's trip has prompted Tokyo to consider whether there would be bilateral meetings between Kan and Medvedev, as well as between Maehara and his Russian counterpart Lavrov.

The meetings could take place on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Seoul next week and of the APEC summit in Yokohama, Japan, later this month, Japanese news reports said.

The former envoy Panov was certain that it would not be a tragedy for Medvedev if Japanese authorities did not cool down two weeks before his arrival in Tokyo. Russia might simply utilize a wise "wait-and-see" approach, since Moscow enjoyed the advantage of the status quo in its relations with Japan, Panov said.

Medvedev's visit has created a dilemma for Japan. On the one hand, Japan cannot be too tough as it would hold the APEC summit that Medvedev was scheduled to attend. On the other hand, a weak stance of Kan's administration will lead to troubles in domestic politics.

The disputed Pacific islands, known as the Northern Territories in Japan and the Southern Kurils in Russia, were occupied by the Soviet troops in 1945 and are currently under Russian control.

---------

China opposes US offer for three-way talks with Japan.

Cntv.cn
11-02-2010 18:34 BJT

Foreign Ministry Spokesman, Hong Lei, said Tuesday that China and Japan alone should resolve their dispute over Diaoyu islands. He also rejected a US offer for three-way talks to ease tensions.

Hong Lei made the remarks when answering China's response to a US proposal on territory disputes between China and Japan over Diaoyu islands at Tuesday's press conference. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton offered last week at a regional summit in Vietnam to host a trilateral meeting with both China and Japan to ease the tensions over the Diaoyu islands. Hong responded the proposal is only a US idea, saying China always believes the full use of the current various dialogue and cooperation mechanisms for peace and development in the Asia Pacific region.

Hong Lei, Spokesman of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, PRC, said, "The territorial dispute between China and Japan over the Diaoyu islands is the business of the two nations only. The US has repeatedly claimed that the Diaoyu islands fall within the scope of the US-Japan security alliance. This is extremely wrong. What the US should do is immediately rectify this wrong position."

Hong Lei also commented on the territorial dispute between Russian and Japan over the Kuril Islands. He said the issue concerned Moscow and Tokyo only and called for a resolution through dialogue between the two sides.

Hong Lei is the newly-appointed spokesman of Foreign Ministry. He is the 25th spokesman of the ministry.

[TsarSamuil]

Russia warns of more visits to disputed islands.

By Alister Doyle
OSLO | Tue Nov 2, 2010 12:43pm EDT

(Reuters) - Russia said on Tuesday President Dmitry Medvedev planned more trips to a group of islands seized by the Soviet Union from Japan at the end of World War Two, deepening a serious rift with Tokyo.

Japan said it was recalling its ambassador from Moscow temporarily after Medvedev this week became the first Russian leader to visit the desolate islands, known as the Southern Kuriles in Russia and the Northern Territories in Japan.

The dispute has added to the pressure on Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan, who is grappling with a divided parliament and is already under fire for what critics say was his mishandling of a separate territorial dispute with China.

The Kremlin has made no comment on the row since Medvedev's visit on Monday to Kunashir island, but Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Medvedev planned further trips to the disputed isles.

"I had a conversation with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev this morning. He expressed satisfaction with his visit to Kunashir and said that he plans to visit the other islands of the Lesser Kuriles," Lavrov told reporters in Oslo.

The 65-year-old dispute over the desolate islands, which have rich fishing grounds and possibly greater mineral wealth, is threatening to overshadow a summit of Asia-Pacific leaders which Japan will host in mid-November.

Kan was still likely to meet Medvedev at the summit, a Japanese government spokesman said. But Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara said nothing had been decided yet.

"We have a territorial problem and that needs to be solved," Maehara told a news conference, where he announced the temporary recall of Japan's ambassador from Moscow. The ambassador was later seen leaving the embassy by a Reuters photographer.

JAPAN, RUSSIA, CHINA

The dispute with the Kremlin means Japan is facing stormy relations with China and Russia, its two biggest neighbors.

Sino-Japanese relations deteriorated sharply in September after Japan detained a Chinese trawler captain whose vessel collided with Japanese patrol ships near the chain of disputed islands, called Senkaku by the Japanese and Diaoyu in China.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who last week urged both Beijing and Tokyo to be calm and offered to host trilateral talks to bring relations back to an even keel, said the offer still stood, although they could discuss other issues as well.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu dismissed the proposal as "a U.S. idea," adding that it was wrong to include the disputed islands in any U.S.-Japan defense agreements.

"It must be pointed out that the Diaoyu islands are Chinese territory, and the dispute between China and Japan over them is one between the two countries," he said in a statement on the Foreign Ministry's website www.mfa.gov.cn.

Critics within Kan's own party as well as the opposition accuse Kan of caving in to Chinese demands by allowing the release of the captain.

That perception has contributed to a fall in his popularity ratings to about 40 percent after just five months in office.

Japanese Economy Minister Banri Kaieda expressed concern that the dispute with Moscow could affect commercial relations with the world's biggest energy producer.

"Japan and Russia have deep ties when it comes to energy and natural resources development," Kaieda said after a cabinet meeting. "I'm worried about the impact on economic relations from the Russian president's visit to the Northern Territories."

(Additional reporting by Yoko Nishikawa, Linda Sieg and Kiyoshi Takenaka in Tokyo, Ben Blanchard and Huang Yan in Beijing and Arshad Mohammed in Kuala Lumpur; Writing by Guy Faulconbridge in Moscow; editing by Michael Watson and Alex Richardson)

[TsarSamuil]

Japan will not take new actions against Medvedev's visit to Kuril Islands - source.

The Japanese government has taken a decision to refrain from further actions of protest against Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's recent visit to the Kuril Islands, the Japanese Mainichi Shimbun newspaper said.

"As long as Russia does not take any new steps concerning the Northern Territories, [Japan] will not take any actions," the paper quoted as saying a senior official from the Japanese Cabinet of Ministers without defining him.

On Monday, Medvedev became the first Russian president to visit one of the four disputed Kuril Islands.

Japan called the visit "regrettable" and temporarily recalled its ambassador to Russia.

Japan's Prime Minister Naoto Kan said on Tuesday he is not sure if his forthcoming meeting with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev at the Asia Pacific (APEC) summit would go ahead.

Both Moscow and Tokyo have laid claim to the Kuril Islands, called the Northern Territories by Japan, since they were occupied by the Soviet Union at the end of World War II. The dispute over the islands has prevented Russia and Japan from signing a peace treaty to formally end World War II hostilities.

TOKIO, November 4 (RIA Novosti)

[TsarSamuil]

Japan sends envoy back to Russia.

RT.com
08 November, 2010, 14:49

Japanese Ambassador Masaharu Kono returned to Moscow on Sunday after consultations in Tokyo over Kuril Islands confrontation.

"I am returning because the purpose of my temporary homecoming has been accomplished," Kono said. According to reports, Japanese ambassador was instructed to pay special attention to a possible new trip by President Dmitry Medvedev to the South Kurils.

Kono said he was ready to resume his work in Moscow and would prepare various events, including a possible meeting between Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Yokohama on Saturday.

Russian presidential aide Sergey Prihodko says Dmitry Medvedev is open to discuss any issues that may arise at the planned meeting with the Japanese prime minister.

The diplomatic conflict arose just a week before Medvedev’s visit to Japan, where the Russian President is to attend APEC summit in Yokohama. Last Monday Dmitry Medvedev, who was en route to Moscow from a summit in Vietnam, spent four hours touring Kunashir Island. Japan reacted by recalling its ambassador in Moscow, Masaharu Kono, for consultations.

The Kuril Islands have been contested territory between Russia and Japan since the end of WWII. The four islands – Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and Habomai Rocks – were captured by the Soviets during World War II. Japan is demanding that Russia returns the island group, while Russia says they were never Japan’s territories. The standoff over the islands, which are believed to be rich in natural resources, including gas and oil, has prevented Japan and Russia from signing a formal World War II peace treaty.

[TsarSamuil]

Japanese PM to take up territorial issue with Russian president.

Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan plans to meet with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to state his government's position on a territorial dispute, NHK TV reported on Friday.

Medvedev recently aggravated relations with Japan by becoming the first Russian or Soviet leader to visit one of the four Kuril Islands (called the Northern Territories by Japan), which both Russia and Japan have laid claim to since World War II.

"The prime minister is to express regret and reiterate the government's position that the islands are Japanese territory," the report said.

Presidential spokeswoman Natalya Timakova earlier said Medvedev planned to meet with Kan on the sidelines of an APEC summit in Yokohama on November 13-14.

"The Japanese side traditionally raises the issue of the Kuril islands at such meetings. Russia's position on the matter is immutable," she said.

Both Moscow and Tokyo have laid claim to the Kuril Islands since they were occupied by the Soviet Union at the end of World War II. The dispute over the islands has prevented the two countries from signing a peace treaty to formally end World War II hostilities.

TOKYO, November 12 (RIA Novosti)